Orbit-resolved spin holography: role of Coulomb focusing in target-dependent polarization

Abstract

Strong-field photoelectron holography encodes ultrafast electron dynamics through momentum-space interference. However, the orbit-resolved origin of spider-like spin fringes and the mechanism underlying their target dependence remain unclear. Here, we resolve both issues by analyzing photoelectron spin textures generated during tunneling ionization. We use the Coulomb quantum-orbit strong-field approximation, benchmarked against time-dependent Schrödinger equation simulations for $\mathrm{He^+}$ and Xe, to separate orbital-channel and quantum-orbit contributions. Spider-like fringes arise from interference between $p$-orbital ionization channels with different magnetic quantum numbers within an individual orbit class and therefore do not require interorbit interference. The observable polarization along these fringes, however, depends on the balance among orbit-class contributions. The decomposition associates the opposite first-leg polarizations of $\mathrm{He^+}$ and Xe with different relative weights of laser-deflected and forward-scattered trajectories, consistent with target-dependent Coulomb focusing. Photoelectron spin textures thus complement momentum distributions as probes of Coulomb-driven strong-field dynamics.